CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This study is concerned with the investigation of performance of English pre-service teachers during the pre-service program and the benefits and challenge they faced during the program. This chapter discusses the background of the research, statement of the problems, the objectives of the study, the scope of the study, and the organization of the thesis.
1. 1 Background
Indonesia University of Education is one of universities in Indonesia which focuses on teacher education and has the mission to prepare teachers, as depicted in the vision and mission of Indonesia University of Education, Chapter II Article 3 (a), that is providing professional teachers. To achieve this goal, the University includes Pre-service Program (Program Latihan Profesi) as compulsory subject to take by the education students in order to get the degree. The program is aimed at preparing students to become teachers and to give them experience in teaching (taken from Kurikulum Ketentuan Pokok dan Struktur Program, 2003).
Moreover, based on library research in Indonesia University of Education there has been no research conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the program and its effects on student-teachers’ skills in teaching. Besides that, there is no study has been conducted to investigate the performance of the pre-service teachers during the program.
materials, teaching performance: adapting and socializing with students, transferring knowledge, and supervision.
Those problems may be due to some factors such as their incapability in determining the goals of their teaching and learning activity, their incapability in managing the class: how to maintain the flow of the knowledge transfer since the pre-service teachers found that students always got bored easily, they did not pay attention when they were explaining the materials and they seem to be reluctant to grammar lesson, and ineffective supervision sessions.
Class activity basically consists of two types of activities, that is learning and teaching. Teaching itself can not be put separately from learning since they both are integrated (Brown, 2001: 13). As supported by Nathan (in Brown, 1980: 8) “to satisfy the practical demands of education, theories of learning must be stood on their head as to yield theories of teaching.
By definition teaching is an action of helping someone to learn how to do something, giving instruction, guiding in the study of something, providing with knowledge, causing to know or understand (Brown, 1980: 7). On the other hand, learning is acquiring or getting of knowledge of a subject or a skill by study, experience or instruction (Brown, 1994: 7). Meanwhile, Kimble and Garmez in (Brown, 1994: 7) stated that learning is a relatively permanent change in a behavioral tendency is the result of reinforced practice.
The definitions imply that the interaction of teachers and students in the teaching and learning activity is very crucial, which is the thing that will determine the success of the teaching and learning process. However, the role of the teacher is the one that matter; since teacher is “the man behind the gun” (Suherdi, 2006: 74). It means that s/he is the person who decides which target to be shot and how to direct the shooting. On the other words, a teacher is the person who decides the focus and direction of students learning. Hence, s/he is responsible for the students’ learning process.
teachers. As supported by Leigh (2002: 1): Teachers’ knowledge and skills are the most vital in-school factors influencing children’s learning.
Regarding those issues, the ability in teaching or transferring knowledge is an important skill which should be possessed by teachers and that skill is not mastered all at one. Novice teachers who lack of experience might find that teaching is not an easy task to do. Moreover, it requires understanding of theories and principle of teaching and practice. As stated by Walls, et.al (2002):
Knowing how effective and ineffective teacher behave does not provide a prescription for shortening or easing the route to proficiency and excellence in teaching. There must be balance between formal knowledge of educational practice and the application of concept of effective teaching. This can be achieved by giving pre-service teacher multiple opportunities to teach in progressively more complex, multidimensional, and realistic environment. (Walls, et.al in Lang, R. Hellmut, 2006: 4)
That idea indicates that pre-service program is needed as an opportunity for student-teachers to apply theories they got and to make it more meaningful by taking them into practice. Therefore, this study aims to investigate English pre-service teachers’ performance during the pre-service teaching program and the benefits of the program, as challenges faced by students in the program.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
This study explored three English Pre-service teachers’ performance who conducted Professional Practice Program in Senior High School 8 in Bandung and how the program benefits for them. The problem of the study is formulated into the following research questions:
1. How is the performance of the English pre-service teachers in the pre-service teaching program?
2. What are the benefits and challenges that English pre-service teachers get from the Professional Practice Program?
Departing from the problem mentioned in the statement of the problem, this study aims to: 1. Investigate the performance of three English pre-service teachers’ performance in class. 2. To find out the benefits and challenges that the three English pre-service teachers get from
the Professional Practice Program.
1. 4 Scope of the Study
This study is intended to find out the performance of three English pre-service teachers in Senior High School 8 in Bandung. The performance is particularly the pre-service teachers’ performance in conducting teaching and learning process which include preparation, presentation stages, their instruction and classroom interaction, and interpersonal skills. Moreover, this study aims to figure out the benefits and challenges that they faced during the program. Therefore, this study is expected to lead to the enhancement of policy in education program, particularly, English education program.
1. 5 Significance of the Study
The significant of the study are:
1. This study can figure out the performance of English pre-service teachers in Senior High School 8 in Bandung which then might be used by English Department of Indonesia University of Education as a reflection and an indicator to improve its curriculum.
2. This study can figure out the benefit and challenges of the pre-service teaching program faced by the three English pre-service teachers in Senior High School 8 in Bandung. This result can be used as media to improve the effectiveness of the pre-service teaching program by Indonesia University of Education and English Department in particular.
1.6 Clarification of Terms
2. Pre-service Teaching by definition is initial teacher training before entering the classroom as a fully responsible teacher (Wikipedia, 2009). Moreover, as Darling (2005: 12) states pre-service teaching is a component of teachers education that helps teachers (student-teacher) to both understand and move beyond their personal knowledge and experience to bring to bear wider set of understanding on the problems of helping others to learn.
1.6 Thesis Organization
